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Boys Soccer Player of the Year: Oh, what a year for Omar

Senior led Panthers to first regional crown in 10 years

Omar Carreño has been very, very good in the Southwest Prairie Conference.

Heck, he was simply phenomenal every time he took the field, somehow having an even better season this fall than he did a year ago.

The Oswego senior, who his coach Gaspar Arias called one of the best players he’s ever coached, has been named the Record/Ledger Soccer Player of the Year.

[Shaw Media file photo]

“Out of his three years of playing at Oswego, this year was the best soccer season Omar had,” Arias said. “He was a great team captain, great leader, very humble and always supportive of his teammates. His speed, strength and quick change of direction made him a very dangerous player up top.”

He scored 36 goals and had 12 assists while leading the Panthers to their first regional title in 10 years and an 18-3-2 record. He put up such gigantic numbers despite opponents knowing what they were in for after his 25-goal,13-assist junior season.

Carreño helped the Panthers complete their second straight perfect SPC season. Conference opponents certainly will be happy to no longer see No. 10 in an Oswego uniform.

“Omar is a tough player to defend because of his composure with the ball,” Plainfield South coach Bryant Williams said. “He never seems rushed or hurried; the game slows down for him until he makes a pass to create an opportunity or he shoots. His accuracy both passing and shooting make him a difficult dual threat for any team."

[Sean King for Shaw Media]

Minooka coach Nate Spriggs said that Carreño is “dangerous from anywhere on the field, shoots with power and accuracy and has acceleration and speed that is unmatched in our conference.”
Romeoville coach Nick Cirrincione said he will miss seeing him play, but is happy he no longer has to coach against him.

“Omar, plain and simple, is a stud,” Cirrincione said. “The guy is a great dribbler with speed, has great moves and is a deadly finisher.”

Carreño had a scoring hat trick to beat rival Oswego East 5-0 last year. This year, he scored twice to help the Panthers beat the Wolves 4-3 in one of the most exciting and heavily attended regular-season soccer matches in recent memory.

Afterward, Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski seriously praised Carreño, calling him the best player he’s seen in the SPC since Oswego East’s Jorge Alvarez.

[Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com]

During the regional against Metea Valley, the Panthers were trailing 1-0 with time running out before Carreño sliced his way through the penalty box and buried a header to tie the game with 5:37 left. The Panthers eventually won on PKs to win their first regional title since 2008.

“We did a tremendous job on them, but that’s why that kid is so talented and why he’s all-state,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “And that was one of the best goals I’ve seen all year.”
Carreño, for his part, loves the game as much as he excels at it.

“I started playing soccer when I just started to walk and my grandpa used to take me to the park in Colombia all the time,” Carreño said. “I was always playing soccer, nothing else. It was always soccer and I’ll always love it.”

[Gary Duncan for Shaw Media]

While Carreño had no problem communicating on the field, he knows his English needs to improve. He believes it’s coming along nicely and will continue to get better at Waubonsee Community College, where he’ll also play soccer next year.

He loved his time these past three seasons as a Panther, creating unforgettable memories for himself and his teammates.

“I can’t ask for a better team,” he said. “I’m just happy to help my team achieve so many of our goals and for them to help me.”